The Department of Justice is investigating the shooting death of Georgia man Ahmaud Arbery in February as a hate crime, the Arberys' attorney said on Monday, as federal authorities look to uncover why it took more than two months to make arrests in the case despite video that captured the deadly encounter, while also investigating whether Glynn County and the state of Georgia have historically violated the rights of its citizens.
Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was shot and killed in a confrontation with two white men, Gregory McMichael, 64, and his 34-year-old son, Travis, after they pursued him in a pickup truck while he was jogging in their neighborhood. In addition to the McMichaels, who have both been charged, the man who filmed the killing, William Bryan, has also been arrested for felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
Gregory McMichael claims that he believed Arbery was a burglar, and says that Arbery "violently" attacked his son, with the two fighting over the shotgun before Travis shot him twice. Bryan maintains that he had "nothing to do" with the shooting, aside from being a witness.
The federal government's involvement in this case is significant because many believe Arbery was targeted because he was black, but Georgia is one of only a small handful of states that do not have hate crime laws on the books. These laws, which can allow harsher sentences for those who commit a crime motivated by bias against a protected group, have so far failed to pass in the Georgia legislature, though there may be renewed support for them in the wake of Arbery's death. In the meantime, federal laws _ specifically the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed in 2009 _ give the Department of Justice the authority to prosecute hate crimes that may not be covered by state laws.
